Chiki Kuruka is the founder of Afuzion, a Certified African-Based Dance Curriculum which takes participants through four African dance styles.
The 34-year-old, a trained ballet dancer, spearheads the initiative seeking to celebrate the rich tapestry of Africa’s heritage.
Chiki who holds a degree in metaphysics and logic is also the owner of Dance Shagz, a dance studio which she opened in 2021.
But what does Afuzion’s dance curriculum entail? Here is what WoK managed to find out.
During the curriculum’s launch, Chiki said her desire to see African dance styles respected inspired her to star Afuzion.
She spent a lot of her career in the United Kingdom where she focused on mental health, dance and physical wellness.
After years of living in Kenya, Chiki developed a desire to bridge the gap between physical movement and emotional well-being.
It is then that she came up with the idea of Afuzion.
Afuzion takes participants through four African dance styles – Amapiano, West African Street, Traditional Dance and Kenyan Street Styles.
According to the curriculum, Amapiano is a hybrid of deep house, jazz and lounge music characterized by synths and wide percussive baselines.
Most of the movement is very lyrical and many of the dance challenges either mimic the beats, lyrics or sounds in the music
The genre is naturally high energy, so get ready to burn some serious calories
West African Street is synonymous in Nigeria and Ghana.
The style consists of Riddim bounce at it roots, and moves its way through styles developed in 2010 such as Shaku Shaku and Konto Bounce.
The movements mimic real life, such as animalistic movement.
Focussing on Kenyan tribes, Traditional Dance genre takes a deep dive into local communities, such as the Maasai Warrior dance, Kikuyu Mugithi and Luo Ohangla.
With this move, participants understand how the ancestors moved, and what drove those movements, embodying stories and the richness of our heritage.
Finally, as a Kenyan company, Afuzion says their dance journey ensures that they pay special love and attention celebrating celebrating Kenyan dance styles.
These moves include Odi dance which gained commercial relevance in 2019.
